The Real Cure for the COVID 19 Pandemic

Written by Bernadette Benton

COVID 19 is having a far greater impact on people with pre-existing conditions, which could have been prevented or minimized through proper nutrition and exercise.

The CDC website has an entire COVID 19 section dedicated to “Your Health”. It covers topics ranging from how to prevent getting sick, to what to do if you or a loved one are sick. They give tons of tips, advice, and facts. They are the leader of preventative guidelines pertaining to COVID 19. You would think they relayed all the necessary information to protect our nation’s health yet they left out one critical message: Get Healthy! 

The CDC lists that those with chronic kidney disease, chronic heart disease(s), obesity, and type 2 diabetes are at increased risk of severe illness from COVID 19. These are all curable, man made illnesses created from eating an excess of the wrong foods in joint with a lack of exercise. So what does this mean? It means that our biggest defense against COVID 19 is getting the American people healthy.

Let’s look at some numbers from the CDC

• About 60% of American adults have at least one chronic medical condition

• About 40% have 2 or more

• 73% percent of U.S. adults are overweight; including obesity numbers

Based on these numbers, the majority of American adults have put themselves at an increased risk of severe illness from COVID 19, yet the main message coming from the CDC and our leaders is to wear a mask, stay 6 feet apart from each other, and to avoid large crowds. Is that the real cure to our pandemic, or even future pandemics? 

Here’s some food for thought- what if in addition to our current COVID 19 guidelines, we adamantly advocated to build our immune systems up by eating less processed foods, eating more fruits and vegetables, exercising at least 30 minutes a day, getting enough sleep, meditating for at least 5 minutes a day, and getting more sunlight? Or is that too radical of an idea?

Here are 5 easy things you can do today that will get you started on your health journey

1. Eat more foods that support your immune system like red bell peppers, oranges, or broccoli which are all great sources of Vitamin C. Blueberries are another amazing fruit that have an antioxidant effect which will strengthen your immune system! 

2. Get 8 hours of sleep

3. Walk 2 miles a day

4. Try a new home workout video from YouTube instead of TV or phone time

5. Practice a guided meditation when you wake up and before you go to bed

This idea of advocating for health poses some major, complicated issues like accessibility to fresh produce. COVID 19 has hit minority communities hard, due to the fact that they have higher rates of chronic man made illness and obesity...but why? One answer is that some communities live in “food deserts”, which means they don’t live near grocery stores with fresh, affordable produce. If you want to try and help solve this problem, I have linked some petitions below. You can sign and share to try and call attention to this issue.

We can make a lasting impact by having these conversations. Big solutions start small and when we join together, we create a big voice for change. 

Petitions to Eliminate Food Deserts

• Eliminate Food Deserts in Columbia, SC

• Sign and demand Western Beef to sell fresh meat, fresh produce & natural food options!

What will you do today that will strengthen your immune system and get you started on your health journey? Let’s talk in the comments! 

Thanks for reading and don’t forget to send this important message to your loved ones.

Bernadette is a Nutrition student at Cal Poly Pomona who is passionate about mental and physical health. She spends her days writing poetry, laughing, listening to music, and being outdoors. If you enjoyed this piece follow her Snapchat @bibigunxx for daily plant based food, health, and lifestyle inspiration.